Schwartzel learned to love golf from father

Tuesday

Oct 1, 2013 at 12:01 AMOct 2, 2013 at 9:00 AM

Had Charl Schwartzel not become a professional golfer, he would still be working outdoors. "I would have been a farmer if I weren't a golfer, that's for sure," he said. "I liked the smell of the land early in the morning."

Bob Baptist, The Columbus Dispatch

Had Charl Schwartzel not become a professional golfer, he would still be working outdoors.

"I would have been a farmer if I weren't a golfer, that's for sure," he said. "I liked the smell of the land early in the morning."

Although the South African, winner of the 2011 Masters, still makes early rounds, he long ago left behind the cornfields to harvest a future from his other love.

His roots are in both.

Schwartzel's father, George, was a golfer of some repute when he was younger, good enough to play professionally in his homeland for a few years before marrying and settling on the farm of his wife's family.

"He was exposed to the game from a very young age, and all the top South Africans and Zimbabweans - the Mark McNultys and Nick Prices - those are the guys he played with," Charl Schwartzel said. "They all grew up together."

But his father, Schwartzel said, didn't enjoy being a pro. George Schwartzel did continue to enjoy the game, though, and he provided his son ample opportunities to enjoy it with him. The two played several times a week at their home club about 40 miles east of Johannesburg.

Charl was still a toddler in 1987 when his father partnered a young amateur, Ernie Els, to the championship of a better-ball tournament - and as the younger Schwartzel progressed through the junior ranks, Els kept an eye on him.

"I've seen him come up," Els said. "His swing hasn't changed. He's got an unbelievable swing. He always based it on (Tiger Woods') original swing - and left it alone."

Schwartzel and Els are among six South Africans on the 12-man International team. Price is the team captain, and his assistants include fellow Zimbabweans McNulty and Tony Johnstone.

The other South African players are Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Richard Sterne and Tim Clark. Brendon de Jonge of Zimbabwe also made the team as one of Price's captain's picks.

Schwartzel, Oosthuizen and Grace at various times were part of an academy of junior golfers sponsored in part by the foundation Els started in 1999 to spur the growth of disadvantaged South African youths through golf.

"A bunch of our kids have gone on to become better," Els said. "Two of our girls went through (Louisiana State University); some of our guys went through university in South Africa; and some of them are managers of golf clubs now. Not all of them are professional golfers."

Schwartzel and Oosthuizen have accomplished the most as touring pros. In a span of three recent major championships, they claimed two: Oosthuizen, the British Open in 2010, and Schwartzel, the Masters in 2011.

"Can you imagine any university that gives a scholarship to have a major champ coming out of it?" Els said. "It's unbelievable."

Schwartzel didn't receive a scholarship from the foundation. "Charl wasn't a full member," Els said. "He didn't need the (financial) help like Louis and some of the other kids. But he traveled with the team, and basically we welcomed him into the fraternity."

Schwartzel was 18 when he turned pro in 2002 - the second-youngest from South Africa to make the jump.

As an up-and-comer on the European Tour in 2005, he was invited by the Memorial Tournament to play in the United States for the first time but was unable to obtain a visa. When he played Muirfield Village for the first time the next year, he made the cut.

"They were the quickest greens I had ever seen in my life," said Schwartzel, now 29. "It was pretty intimidating playing there for the first time, and quite difficult. But as the years went on and you learn how to play the course and you got used to the speed of the greens, I started liking it a lot."

He tied for eighth at this year's Memorial.

Schwartzel earned his PGA Tour membership in 2010, after finishing second in the WGC event at Doral.

The milestone drew praise from the winner of that tournament: Els.

"He's just got so much talent," Els said then. "When he gets a break out here, you're going to see the next superstar out of South Africa."

A year later, Schwartzel was wearing a green jacket.

bbaptist@dispatch.com

@DispatchGolf

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